Air circulating arrangement for refrigerators



Patented Nov. 27, 1951 AIB CIRCULATIN G ARRANGEMENT FOR REFRIGERATORSl Harley H. Bixler, Erie, Pa., assigner to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application December 8, 1949, Serial No. 131,845

My invention relates to refrigerator cabinets and more particularly to air circulating arrangements for such cabinets.

Some refrigerators are cooled by refrigerantconducting tubes secured to the exterior of the liner forming the food storage compartment. Where the tubing is operated below the freezing point of water frost may collect on the tubing from moisture leaking into the insulation space between the inner and outer walls of the refrigerator where the accumulation of frost cannot be noticed by the user. This is particularly true in the case of combination refrigerators which include not only a compartment maintained at a temperature suitable for storing fresh food but also include a compartment maintained at a temperature in the neighborhood of zero degrees Fahrenheit for storing frozen foods. It has been found that moisture condensing and frost collecting on the tubes on the exterior of the fresh food compartment migrates through the insulation to the colder exterior surface of the frozen food compartment. It has been further found that frost may thus collect in substantial quantities on the exterior of the liner of the frozen food compartment while a smaller amount of frost has collected on the interior of this liner. Since the user readily notices the amount of frost collecting on the interior of the liner but cannot see the amount collecting on the exterior of the liner, he may delay defrosting unduly, relying on the amount of frost he can see on the interior of the liner. By my invention greater accumulation of frost on the interior of the liner than on the exterior is insured so that the user, noticing this accumulation on the interior of the liner, will defrost the compartment before the amount collecting on the exterior of the liner has become unduly large.

It is an object of my invention to minimize the collection of frost on the exterior of the liner of -a refrigerated compartment.

`It is. another object of my invention to provide an improved air circulating arrangement within the insulation space' of a regrigerator for removing frost collecting on the exterior of a liner and transferring it to the interior of a compartment.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a refrigerator having a frozen food compartment and a fresh food compartment cooled by. refrigerant circuited through tubing on the ex'- terior of the liners of these compartments and including an improved air circulating arrangement for removing frost from the exterior of the liner of the fresh food compartment and trans- 7 Claims. (Cl. 62-89) ferring it tothe interior of the frozen food compartment.

Further objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent as the following description proceeds and the features of novelty which characterize my invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming part of this specification.

In carrying out the objects of my invention I provide an air circulating passage arrangement within the insulation space of a refrigerator which conducts relatively dry air from the interior of the frozen food compartment through a passage adjacent the liner of the fresh food compartment, absorbing moisture and frost therefrom, and then passes through a warmer passage back to the interior of the frozen food compartment, depositing the collected moisture therein.

For a better understanding of my invention reference may be had to the accompanying drawing in which Fig. l is a front elevation view, partly in sectionI of a refrigerator embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view taken along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation view of a portion of a refrigerator illustrating a modied form of my invention; Fig. 4 is a plan view taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Referring now to Figs. l and 2, there is shown a refrigerator cabinet I having an outer wall 2. The cabinet includes a pluralityof inner walls or liners 3 and 4. The inner wall 3 provides a compartment 5 suitable for the storage of frozen food, and the inner wall 4 provides a compartment 6 suitable for the storage of fresh food. The space between the outer wall 2 and the inner Walls 3 and 4 is filled with a suitable heat-insulating material 1. This heat-insulating material also is disposed within the space 8 between the wall or liner 3 of the frozen food compartment 5 and the wall or liner 4 of the fresh food compartment 6.

The compartment 5 is cooled by refrigerant conducted from any suitable refrigerating apparatus (not shown) through tubing 9 secured to the exterior of the liner 3 of the frozen food compartment. The tubing 9 is maintained at a temperature suiciently low to keep the temperature within the compartment 5 in the neighborhood of zero degrees Fahrenheit. The -fresli food compartment 6 is also cooled by refrigerant .circulated from any suitable refrigerating apparatus (not shown) through tubing I 0 which is secured to the exterior of the liner 4 of the fresh food comparment. The tubing I is maintained at a temperature suiiicient to keep the air temperature within the compartment 6 in the neighborhood `of 38 degrees Fahrenheit. This may involve the operation of the tubing I0 at a temperature below the freezing point of water, particularly when the user for some reason desires to operate the fresh food compartment with a lower air temperature than that indicated above, and frost will tend to collect on the tubing I0 and the exterior of the liner 4 from moisture leaking into the insulation space between the outer wall 2 and the inner walls 3 and 4. Because the wall 3 of the frozen food compartment is operated at a substantially lower temperature than the wall 4 of the fresh food compartment this frost, in conventional arrangements, migrates toward the frozen food compartment and collects on the exterior of the wall 3 of this compartment. The frost thus collecting on the exterior of wall 3 may exceed the amount collecting on the interior of this wall as a result of moisture admitted to the compartment 5 during door openings. Accordingly, the amount of frost so collected on the exterior of the wall 3 may become unduly large before the accumulation within the compartment 5 is of sufficient magnitude to call the users attention to the necessity for defrosting.

By my arrangement a preferential collection of frost within the interior of the compartment 5 is achieved so that the users attention is called to the desirability of defrosting before the frost accumulating on the exterior of the wall 3 has become excessive. This is achieved by providing a continuous passage within the insulation space so arranged as to facilitate the transfer of frost from the insulation space and particularly from the region of the exterior of the Wall 4 of the fresh food compartment to the interior of the frozen food compartment. This air circulating passage Il includes a portion I2 arranged adjacent the exterior of the wall 4 of the fresh food compartment 6. The portion I2 of the passage I I is made up of sections I3 and I4 along the top and bottom of the liner 4 of the fresh food compartment and sections l5 and I6 along the sides of the liner and also a section I1 adjacent the back wall I8 of the liner 4. Thus, the portion I2 of the passage I| includes sections surrounding the liner 4 on five sides. In order to maintain the insulation 1 spaced from the liner 4 in the manner described a plurality of spacer elements I9 of suitable heat-insulating material are provided between the insulation 1 and the liner 4. If desired, the heat-insulating material 1 can be formed to provide the spacers I9 integral with the insulating material I1, thereby forming the plurality of channels 20 which make up the portion I2 of the passage II.

The passage further includes a. portion 2| which is arranged adjacent the outer wall 2 of the refrigerator. As in the case of the portion I2 of the passage the portion 2| includes sections 22 and 23 at the two sides of the refrigerator, a section 24 at the top of the refrigerator and a section 25 along the rear wall of the refrigerator. In order to space the heat-insulating material 1 from the outer wall 2 of the refrigerator so as to provide the portion 2| of the passage |I, a plurality of spacers 26 of suitable heat-insulating `material may be employed between the heatinsulating material 1 and the outer wall 2. Alternatively, as in the case of the spacing from the inner wall, the heat insulating material 1 itself may be formed to provide the spacers 26 integral therewith, thereby forming a plurality of parallel channels 21 between the heat-insulating material 1 and the outer wall 2.

The portions I2 and 2| of the passage are joined adjacent the bottom of the wall 4 of the fresh food compartment by a passage 28 to form the continuous air circulation passage along the exterior of the fresh food compartmentand along the interior of the outer wall 2 of the refrigerator. The passages I1 and 25 are similarly connected. The portion I2 of the continuous passage is connected at one end 29 in communication with the lower portion of the interior of the frozen food compartment 5 through an opening 30 provided therein. The portion I2 of the passage is also connected in communication with the interior of the compartment 5 at the opposite side, the end 3| of this passage communicating with the compartment 5 through an opening 32. Similarly, the portion 2| of the continuous passage II is connected at one end 33 with the upper portion of the frozen food compartment through an opening 34.

With the arrangement shown the air circulates I through the passage Within the insulation space in the direction indicated by the arrows. Thus, air flows from the interior of the compartment 5 through the openings 3|) and 32 and downwardly through the passage portion I2 along the sections I5, |6, and I1. Air also flows toward the sides and back of the liner from the passages I3 and I4. The air thus flowing from the interior of the compartment 5 is very low in moisture con'- tent because of its passage through the cold com'- partment 5 wherein moisture has been condensed and frozen from the air and deposited within the compartment 5. Accordingly, the resultant relatively dry air passing downwardly adjacent the exterior of the liner 4 of the fresh food compartmentA readily absorbs moisture and frost which has deposited on the exterior of this liner. The air then iiows outwardly through the passage portion 28 and upwardly along the sides and back of the refrigerator adjacent the interior of the outer wall 2 through the portion 2| of the passage II. Since the temperature of the air within the passage portion 2|, being adjacent the outer wall of the cabinet, will necessarily be higher than that in the portion |2 the air in the passage 2| tends to rise, and the thermosiphon effect causes a circulation of air through the passage The air nally passes through the passage portion 24 along the top ofthe refrigerator and into the upper portion of the compartments 5 at the ppening 34. Thus, air continually circulates from the interior of the frozen food compartment downwardly along the exterior of the liner 4 of the fresh food compartment, picking up moisture, and then upwardly adjacent the outer wall of the refrigerator and back to the frozen food compartment where the collected moisture is deposited as frost.

In order to minimize heat, radiation through the passageportion I2 into the interior of the frozen food compartment, a sharp bend is provided in this portion of the overall passage as indicated at 35. For the same reason the passage section 36 through which air passes to the interior of the compartment 5 is formed with two sharp bends 31 and 38. In order to minimize the migration of moisture and frost from the insulation space about the fresh food compartmentl to 15 the exterior of the frozen food compartment, a

horizontal barrier 39 of moistureproof material extends through the space 8 between the frozen food compartment and the fresh food compartment. The barrier 39 is, of course, provided with openings for the passage I I.

It may be desirable in some cases to secure a reduced amount of air circulation. An arrangement for accomplishing this is shown in Figs. 3 and 4. The same numerals have been used to designate corresponding parts in Figs. 1, 2 and in Figs. 3 and 4. The arrangement of the portions of the passage II communicating with the interior of the frozen food compartment and of the portions adjacent the exterior of the fresh food compartment is the same as those employed in the form shown in Fig. l. The portion of the passage II through which air is circulated upwardly through the insulation space to the interior of the frozen food compartment, which portion is indicated at 2| in Fig. 3, is spaced from the outer wall in the form shown in Figs. 3 and 4 in lieu of being arranged adjacent the outer wall as indicated at, 2| in Fig. 1. The passage portion 2| is shown generally midway between the inner wall 4 of the fresh food coinpartment and the wall 2 of the refrigerator. The passage portion 2I includes a portion 25 generally' midway between the rear portion I8 of the wall 4 and the rear outer wall 2, and a portion 24' generally midway between the inner wall 3 and the outer wall 2. The insulation may be formed to provide the passages shown or alternatively spacers I9 and 26' may be employed. It can be seen that the temperature within the insulation space generally midway between the inner and outer walls is lower than that adjacent the outer wall; hence the thermosiphon effect is reduced and the amount of air circulated through the passage is correspondingly reduced. The shifting of the passage inwardly from the outer wall results in the absorption of a smaller amount of heat from the atmosphere outside the cabinet and, hence, in a corresponding reduction in the amount of heat carried into the interior of the frozen food compartment. The passage 2I can, of course, be located at varying distances from the inner wall 4 and the outer wall 2 to secure the desired air circulation and at the same time to minimize the heat absorbed from the surrounding room into the frozen food compartment.

While I have shown and described specific embodiments of my invention, I do not desire my invention to be limited to the particular construction shown and described, and I intend, by the appended claims, to cover all modifications within the spirit and scope of my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, of the United States, is:

l. A refrigerator cabinet having an outer wall, a spaced inner wall forming a first compartment, a second spaced inner wall forming a second compartment, heat-insulating material in the space between said outer wall and said inner walls, means for refrigerating said inner walls to cool said compartments, said first compartment being maintained at a lower temperature than said second compartment, and a continuous passage in the space between said outer and said inner walls communicating with said first compartment for circulating air through said heatinsulating material and through said rst compartment for removing moisture from said space and depositing it within said first compartment, a first portion of said passage being disposed adjacent the exterior of said wall of said second compartment and being arranged in communication with said first compartment, a second portion of said passage being disposed adjacent said outer wall of said cabinet and being arranged in communication with said first compartment.

2. A refrigerator cabinet having an outer wall, a spaced inner wall forming a first compartment, a second spaced inner wall forming a second compartment, heat-insulating material in the space between said outer wall and said inner walls, means for refrigerating said inner walls to cool said compartments, said first compartment being maintained at a lower temperature than said second compartment, and a continuous passage in the space between said outer and said inner walls communicating with said first compartment for circulating air through said heat-insulating material and through said first compartment for removing'moisture from said space and depositing it with\ said first compartment, a first portion of said passage being disposed adjacent the exterior of said wall of said second compartment and being arranged in communication with said first compartment at the lower portion thereof, a second portion of said passage being 'spaced from said wall of said second compartment and being arranged in communication with said first compartment at the upper portion thereof.

3. A refrigerator cabinet having an outer wall, a spaced inner 4wall forming a first compartment, a second spaced vinner wall forming a second compartment, heat-insulating material in the space between said outer wall and said inner walls. means for refrigerating said inner walls to cool said compartments, said first compartment being maintained at a lower temperature than said second compartment, and a continuous passage in the space between said outer and said inner walls communicating with said first compartment for circulating yair through said heat-insulating material and through said first compartment for removing moisture from said space and depositing it within said first compartment, a first portion of said passage being disposed adjacent the exterior of said wall of said second compartment and being arranged in communication with said rst compartment at the lower portion thereof, a second portion of said passage being disposed ad,- jacent said outer wall of said cabinet and being arranged in communication with said first compartment at the upper portion thereof.

4. A refrigerator cabinet having an outer wall, a spaced inner wall forming a. first compartment, a second spaced inner wall forming a second coinpartment, heat-insulating material in the space between said outer wall and said inner walls. means for refrigerating said inner walls to cool said compartments, said first compartment being maintained at a lower temperature than said second compartment, and a continuous passage in the space between said outer and said inner Walls communicating with said first compartment for circulating air through said heat-insulating material and through said first compartment for removing moisture from said space and depositing it within said first compartment. a first portion of said passage being disposed adjacent the exterior of said wall of said second compartment and being arranged in communication with said first compartment at the lower portion thereof, a second portion of said passage being spaced from said outer wall and from said inner walls and being arranged in communication with as'reos said iirst compartment at the upper portion thereof.

5. A refrigerator cabinet having an outer wall,

a spaced inner wall forming an upper compartment, a second spaced inner wall forming a lower compartment below said rst compartment, heatinsulating material in the space between said outer wall and said inner walls, means for refrigerating said inner walls to cool said compartments, said upper compartment being maintained at a lower temperature than said lower compartment. a continuous passage in the space between said outer wall and said inner walls communicating with said upper compartment for circulating air through said heat insulating material and through said upper compartment for removing moisture from said space and depositing it within said upper compartment, a flrst portion of said passage being disposed adjacent the exterior of said wall of said lower compartment and being arranged in communication with said upper compartment, a second portion of said passage being spaced from said wall of said lower compartment and being arranged in communication with said upper compartment.

6. The refrigerator cabinet having an outer wall, a spaced inner wall forming an upper compartment. a second spaced inner wall forming a lower compartment spaced from said upper compartment, heat-insulating material in the space between said outer wall and said inner walls, heat-insulating material in the space between said upper compartment and said lower compartment, said upper compartment being maintained at a lower temperature than said lower compartment, a continuous passage in the space between said outer wall and said inner 'walls and communicating with said upper compartment for circulating air through said heatinsulating material and through said first compartment for removing moisture from said space between said outer and inner walls and depositing it within said nrst compartment, a first portion of said passage being disposed adjacent the exterior of said Wall of said lower compartment upper compartment, a second portion of said passage being spaced from said wall of said lower compartment and being arranged in communication with said upper compartment, and a barrier of moisture-prooi material extending through said space between said upper compartment and said lower compartment to minimize transfer of moisture therebetween except through said passage.

7. A refrigerator cabinet having an outer wall, a spaced inner wall forming a first compartment. a second spaced inner wall forming a second compartment, heat-insulating material in the space between said outer wall and said inner walls, means for refrigerating said inner walls to cool said compartments, said first compartment being maintained at a. lower temperature than said second compartment, and a continuous passage in the space between said outer wall and said inner walls communicating with said first compartment for circulating air through said heat-insulating material and through said first compartment for removing moisture from said space and depositing it within said rst compartment, a first portion of said passage being disposed adjacent the exterior of said wall of said second compartment and having its end arranged in communication with said irst compartment, a second portion of said passage being spaced from said second compartment and having its end arranged in communication with said first compartment, each of said ends adjacent said rst compartment having oiset portions therein to minimize heat radiation into said rst compartment through said passage.

HARLEY H. BIXLER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le oi.' this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,044,600 Williams June 16, 1936 2,151,713 Nieman Mar. 28, 1939 2,338,452 Munters Jan. 4, 1944 2,485,630 Munters Oct. 25, 1949 2,515,212 Giifard July 18, 1950 2.515.892 Phillipp July 18, 1950 

